Justin Timberlake's Hair: Flatter Than 'Suit And Tie'? (PHOTO)

We've been trying to figure out what's going on with Justin Timberlake's hair since he popped up to promote his new album, "Suit and Tie," with that super-slick coif. Turns out Timberlake's new hairstyle is part of a larger effort to distance the former Mouseketeer from his boy-band image, the New York Times reports.

"I happen to like the hair straighter," says Tom Ford, who likens Timberlake's upated image to Cary Grant. Ford's influence over Timberlake's style transformation has been heavy-handed, turning Timberlake into a retro-referencing icon among the fashion set. JT's smooth pompadour is miles away from his frosted tips and kinky curls of yore, and as a literal image topper, a new 'do is the clearest way to move forward from "looking like a moron."

“Image goes hand in hand with the music," Elle's creative director Joe Zee told the Times. "Madonna was the first person to get how fashion visuals played a huge hand in understanding the next chapter... When you look back, the fashion will probably define her as much as the music does."

While we certainly agree with Zee, we're not as enamored with "Suit and Tie" as we are with Timberlake's dapper style. As his involvement with Ford has amped up, has JT's music dropped off in quality.

Read more about Timberlake's transformation over at the New York Times, and look closely at his pomp in the photo below. Where do you think Justin's priorities should lie: on his scalp, or in the studio?

PHOTO:

See JT's early hairstyles:

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